Radio Free Texas by Libba Bray

RADIO FREE TEXAS by award-winner Libba Bray uses iconic songs (mostly from the 1970s) to title each chapter of this coming-of-age young adult novel. Bowie Jones and Comet Jensen are high school seniors in a rural Texas town who perform community service hours at a local radio station run by a Vietnam vet named Marlon Mardell. The station is behind on taxes and Bowie recounts the story of how he and Comet recruit a group of students (“An athlete. A brain. Stoner. Rebel. Socialite. Twin troublemakers. A leader. And whatever I was.” - think Breakfast Club, only more) to help convey the station’s importance to the community. Along the way, they explore first love, what it means to be a man, and the adapting one’s dreams in difficult circumstances. RADIO FREE TEXAS received starred reviews from School Library Journal (recommended for grades 10 and up) and Kirkus (“A powerhouse coming-of-age novel poignantly depicting the thrills, hopes, and uncertainties of growing up.”). I enjoyed the flashback to the high school class of 1981 and Booklist called RADIO FREE TEXAS “a must-read for teens and nostalgic parents alike.” Have fun making a playlist to accompany your reading.